Pulling device



NiELs LLING DEVICE Filed May 1 1939 Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITEDSTATES PULLING DEVICE Peer D Nielsen, Lorain, Ohio, assignor to NationalTube Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 17, 1939,Serial No. 274,271

1 Claim. (Cl. 104173) This invention relates to pulling devices, but itis particularly concerned with an arrangement I for hauling cars backand forth over tracks located in the path of falling materials.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a specific example of the inventioninstalled under the limestone and ore storage bins of an open hearthsteel plant, for the purpose of pulling the cars over the trackwaycarrying the cars which are gravitationally loaded from the bins andwhich carry the materials to the open hearths.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan;

Figure 2 is an elevation;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of a feature of the invention; and

Figures 4 and 5 are sections showing other features.

More specifically, the drawing illustrates the 0 narrow gauge trackway Irunning between the columns 2 supporting the ore and lime bins overhead,these bins being provided with the usual valved chutes through which thematerials may be dropped into the cars running on this track- Accordingto the prior art, the cars are hauled or pulled over the trackway I bywire ropes resting on the floor to one side of the trackway or in anopen topped conduit on the center line of the trackway, the cars beingprovided with suitable means for connecting them to the ropes in eitherinstance. In the first instance, the workmen are in constant danger ofbeing injured, while in the second instance the materials dischargedfrom 5 the bins, and which accidentally spill to the floor, clog theopen topped conduit so as to cause trouble. One object of the presentinvention is to provide a pulling device which will obviate thesedifficulties.

' 40 According to the present invention, the rope 3 is guided by asuitable system of sheaves fixed to the columns 2 on one side of thetrackway I, to form a vertical loop with the top portion of the loopsufficiently high to be beyond the reach of the workmen and with thebottom portion of the loop running through a guideway 4 located near thefloor level. A suitable overhead powering system 3 serves to reversinglypower the rope 3.

This guideway 4 consists of an appropriate number of lengths ofcommercially obtainable pipe arranged in abutting relation and buttwelded together as at 4*, the joints being made so as to provide asmooth, continuous inside. The pipe used for this purpose should be ofsuitable diameter and have a relatively thick wall, while the variousbutt welded sections may be mounted in any convenient fashion.

Each of the pipe sections is cut to provide it with a longitudinallyextending slot 5, the slot of each section being in alignment with theslot of each other section, whereby to provide a tubular guideway havinga longitudinally extending slot opening into its inside. The pipesections are so mounted that this slot opens horizontally, the resultbeing the provision of a guideway having a 10 rounded exterior leadingdownwardly to the horizontal slot so as to deflect material falling fromthe bins away from the slot. At the same time the workmen are protectedfrom contacting the rope traveling inside the guideway. 15

A shuttle 6 rides inside the guideway, the wire rope having oppositeends connecting with bars I reciprocating in opposite ends of theshuttle 6 and restrained from such reciprocation by compression coilsprings 8. Movement of the rope 3, therefore, causes movement of theshuttle 6 inside the guide 4.

This shuttle is provided with an angularly extending arm 9 which is flatand projects through the slot 5 in the guideway, this arm being adapted25 for connection with the cars on the trackway I by way of a suitablelinkage such as a short length of rope. When such connection is made,

the shuttle 6 serves to pull the linked car over the trackway I and,since the'guideway 4 is to one side of the trackway I, this places athrust on the shuttle. To accommodate such thrust, the shuttle isprovided with rings I0 suitably spaced and fixed to the outside of theshuttle so as to bear against the inside of the guideway, these ringsproviding guides transmitting the mentioned thrust to the guideway. Itis for this reason that the guideway must have a relatively thick wall,since this wall must serve to transmit the thrust stress to the bincolumns 2. 40

Since the shuttle reverses, the arm 9 is pivotally fixed to the shuttlebyia pin 'II and works through a slot I 2 formed in the shuttle body,this slot being of restricted length so as to restrict the swinging ofthe arm 9 to prevent its disappearing 45 within the guideway. Thisarrangement, incidentally, maintains the arm 9 in its angular positionrespecting the shuttle, during the hauling of a car. I

I claim: 50

An arrangement for hauling cars back and forth over tracks located inthe path of falling materials, characterized by, the use of a hollowguideway extending longitudinally alongside the tracks and having alongitudinal slot opening horizontally into its inside, a ropereciprocative in said guideway and a shuttle inside said guideway andfixed to said rope, said shuttle having an arm angularly extendingthrough said slot for connection to the cars and said guideway takingthe thrust imparted said shuttle by transmission of pull through itsangularly extending arm, said guideway having a rounded exterior leadingdown to said slot for deflecting falling materials from said slot, saidshuttle having at least one coil spring through which said rope is fixedto said shuttle and which is entirely inside said guideway so as to beprotected from said falling materials, and said shuttle being providedwith at least one ring having an outside shape and size causing it toclosely fit and ride the inside of said guideway so as to keep saidinside clean.

- PE R D. NIELSEN.

